It defies common sense but conforms to heaven’s logic. If you need more, pour what you have on others. Chapter 4 of 2 Kings begins with a desperate woman. She’s a widow of one “of the sons of the prophets” whose husband “feared the Lord” (v 1). Obviously, fearing God doesn’t exempt you from trouble […]
Victory came when the grain offering was given (v 20), a picture of our being living sacrifices to God. Here’s the scene. Three kings have led their own troops into a trap. They’re in a desert with no water! Clearly, it’s always a bad idea to leave God out of the planning stage. Now, belatedly, […]
If only such times would make us cry, “My soul thirsts for You…in a dry and thirsty land” (Ps 63:1). As 2 Kings 3 opens, Jehoram is king of Israel. The divine assessment is that he isn’t quite as bad as his parents, Ahab and Jezebel, but certainly as bad as Jeroboam “who had made […]
Over these two events we may write, “Consider the goodness and severity of God” (Rom 11:22). The concluding section of 2 Kings 2 presents two very different scenarios. Elisha’s first miracle demonstrates his ministry—he’s always adding something to provide solutions to life’s challenges! In this case, it’s dealing with the problem of bitterness. “The situation […]
“Passing the mantle,” used now as a common idiom, has its origin in this chapter of the Bible. “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” (2 Ki 2:12). So cried out Elisha as Elijah was swept home to glory. He considered him to be his spiritual father, and so asked for […]
Was John the Baptizer Elijah? John said No; Jesus said Yes. How could they both be right? The influence of Elijah spreads far beyond his lifetime, at least into New Testament days, if not to the end of human history. Malachi concludes with the cryptic words: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before […]
Jesus was “carried up” (Lk 24:51), “taken up” (Acts 1:9), “received up” (1 Tim 3:16). It makes me want to go up! Two Old Testament characters and two from the New were caught up into heaven without dying: Enoch and Elijah, Paul and John. Of course, Paul and John returned to earth and later passed […]
God loves boldness in faith. Have you “asked a hard thing” of Him lately? He specializes in the impossible. Having journeyed from Gilgal to Bethel, and from Bethel to Jericho, Elijah and Elisha came to the fords of the Jordan River, in sight of “fifty men of the sons of the prophets” who “stood facing […]